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PaoloR
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Posts posted by PaoloR
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On 5/17/2025 at 7:41 AM, Yagoda said:
Oh dont get me wrong, I love International travel and new sights and experiences. Instead of seeing deer and bear, I get to see snakes and lizards.
But at the same time Im considering a one man motor home and heading cross country USA with no destination.
Please go - we can only hope you have no internet connection in your motor-home!
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So many truly deluded people. Once you lose your manufacturing base it is never coming back. How long will it take to re-build manufacturing? Who is going to pay for it? Where is the labor going to come from? How many products are going to be even close to competitive at US labor cost? AI doesn't make things. it is not the solution to this problem as many seem to believe.
Plus - the biggest single con is looking only at consumables and not balancing it against services. For example, is Google tariffed? The money income flow from banking, insurance and so many service industries needs to be balanced against the outflow from purchasing consumables. Looking at only one side of the equation, then jumping on to tariffs as a means of miraculously bringing non-competitive manufacturing back to the U.S. is pie in the sky.
The solution should have been to offshore manufacturing as it became uncompetitive and relocate the machinery and expertise to owned subsidiaries in low-cost countries. It worked for the Japanese and is now working for the Chinese. The USA which suffers badly from short-termism was not able to take the long-term view on offshoring and provide the finance to build elsewhere. It leapt at short-term profit taking and now thinks it can rectify the situation with tariffs.
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18 hours ago, mfd101 said:
Yes, I had noticed that the Rav4 doesn't show up on the Toyota Thailand website. I hope this might change by this time next year. Will keep an eye on it meantime.
Unlikely to be sold here as manufactured in Japan, Canada and China, which countries would incur import tax and price it out of the market. The Toyotas manufactured in Thailand are:
- Toyota Camry (1999–present)
- Toyota Corolla Altis (2001–present)
- Toyota Yaris (2006–present)
- Toyota Yaris Ativ (2017–present, exported as Toyota Vios)
- Toyota Corolla Cross (2020–present)
- Toyota Yaris Cross (2023–present)
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43 minutes ago, mfd101 said:
I plan to move to our first-ever SUV next year. Looking at the new (2026) Toyota RAV4 when it arrives, and Mazda possibilities. Limited to those 2 brands because of ease of access for servicing here in south Surin at the end of the world at the edge of the jungle ...
And all for the perfectly sensible reasons as set out in the OP. Our beautiful little 2016 Mazda 3 was not built for Thai rural roads and farms nor for my b/f's rugged driving skills.
Toyota have not sold the RAV4 officially in Thailand to date. There are grey imports from Malaysia and other countries. Check with them whether this will change
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Wonderful how many of the cool-aid drinkers that post on here have fallen for the "AI will fix everything" trope.
AI won't spin, weave/knit, dye and cut fabric.
AI won't sew millions of garments.
AI can't perform a manual task; it can only direct a program or a robotic machine. How much would it cost to build a factory full of cutting/ sewing/finishing robots? Probably comparable with the cost of setting up a car factory.
$200 basic T shirts would sell well wouldn't they!
Get real - it is the American consumer who requires cheap goods and has caused most basic products to be manufactured overseas. There is no way back except to move on to selling services and intellectual product, which the USA has already done.
Nike - for example, manufacture 95% of their products overseas. Product development, design, marketing etc. happen in the USA. Garments come into port at 3 USD landed and retail for 20 USD.
The manufacturer is lucky to make 15% (45 cents) The rest goes to Nike and the retailer less transport, write downs etc.
So who is the winner here? Nike and the retailer, not the factory who makes the garment. The other real winner is the end customer who gets what they want at the best price.
Charge them the price it really costs to do all of this in the USA and hear the screams! Followed shortly by Nike going bust.
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Take a sector that every American consumes regularly - Clothing and footwear.
There are no factories of any size manufacturing for the domestic market. Over 90% of apparel and footwear items are imported.
Building factories to make clothing/footwear in the USA would involve a substantial cost. Machinery would have to be imported; labor would have to be trained and paid at a labor cost way, way higher than current sources overseas.
All fabrics would have to be imported- there are virtually no textile factories producing volume goods in the USA
All trims such as buttons, threads, zips, labels would have to be imported.
To move manufacturing of these goods back to the USA is a complete non-starter.
Prices would be at minimum double their current level.
Take an order from Walmart for 5 million fleece hoodies with a 12 week turnaround from order to first delivery - how are they going to deliver that domestically? How are they going to persuade their customers to pay 60 USD for a basic Walmart hoodie? Where are the 6 factories with 2/3 thousand workers in each going to be found?
This is all wishful thinking from the uninformed Maga crowd. History shows that once you allow manufacturing to leave and move to a service-based economy there is no way back.
The above relates to just one industry. Extrapolate it over the many products that a consumer driven society like the USA requires every day and even someone with half a brain can see the absurdity of just assuming mass manufacturing can be re-instated on a wish and be operational within any reasonable time scale. Let alone consider who will invest the large sums necessary to build the required infrastructure.
Pie in the sky
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My first 6 cars were Mini's
I would buy MOT failures, patch them up (they always had floor pans rusted through); get them through my friendly local MOT station then sell them at a profit.
One never made it, sitting on the driveway for spares, and slowly rusting away until parental pressure forced its removal.
The gear sticks in early Mini's were long sticks poking out from the floor. As the car got older and worn, the gear stick would shake and drop out of 3rd gear on corners - for years I still had the habit of tucking my clutch foot under the gear lever on 3rd gear bends.
Any car "activities" with girls had to be in the back seat as the car was too small. I quickly learned to park facing downhill with the seats tipped forward after I was nearly circumcised when the rocking motion of the car caused the front seat to fall back on top of me whilst in flagrante.
Happy days!
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17 hours ago, dinsdale said:
Not sure about a Pot K vape but sure would like one of these types of pot vapes.
Readily available online here in LOS
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Setting up a company that does nothing - just owns some land, is a potential long-term burden.
I did this 15 years ago and bore the costs of set up plus annual accounting and auditing fees.
Two years ago, after the company had conducted no business other than owning the land and paying the accountants for 13 years; I was informed by the local government that unless the company started to function as a company should, with cash flows and transactions, then the company would be deemed inactive and be forced to close.
I didn't bother to contest this - I had enough of accountant's fees!
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Many companies will either refuse to insure you once you are over 70 - or put so many restrictions on your policy as to make the insurance inadequate.
Not useful for the OP but if you apply at 69 you can get cover well past 70
I got 20 years (until 89) with not much in the way of restrictions with Thai Life.
Downside is all the documentation is in Thai and there's a whole book to translate!
If you are approaching 70 do it now - the company admitted they would have declined to insure me if I had applied and not completed the policy before my 70th birthday; stating "those are our rules".
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I only eat Thai food - there is no deterioration in any of the restaurants I eat in.
Why go to another country and complain about the price and quality of food when you choose a cuisine that uses imported ingredients, or ones the local population don't use?
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Not the router's fault
Ditch the paranoia, your affliction is psychosomatic.
As the Thais would say:
You think too much!
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Please note that this advert is dated September 12th and the offer no longer applies.
Despite being out of date and no longer applicable, Asean Now keeps showing it!
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1 hour ago, illisdean said:She can still pretend all that drivel from prison, exactly where she belongs and likely to end up UNLESS she/they find all this J6 "evidence against Trump" they deleted and lost. LOL. She has to be braindead or ultra desperate to associate herself with the cackle queen, the same cackle queen she ripped in 2020. She's just another hypocrite, fraud, low achieving loser.
There is no "lost evidence" Go and read it online
Oops - sorry, you only accept evidence that supports the view and lies of your Orange Messiah.
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23 hours ago, Talon said:
We will never know anything about the phony J6 Committee's evidence, records, or documentation, since they deleted everything before Republicans took the majority in the House.
Do you believe everything that comes out of the deluded mouth of the orange one?
Do you not have the intelligence to go online and read the whole lot?
Or are you so wrapped up in the Magaverse that you can no longer do any checking for yourself?
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1 hour ago, Brian Hull said:
i am not American and so won't be voting but on the balance of experience, capabilities, track record, and what's on offer, the margin should be much greater. In any other western democracy it would be Harris 75%, Trump 25%.
It is not any other democracy - it is in America where vast sums of money are spent every four years on a complete clown show of lies, exaggeration and childish name calling.
The winner then spends the next two years preparing for the mid-terms, rather than actually doing anything for the people by way of governing.
Reality shows have become the new reality in the USA!
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On 9/23/2024 at 12:35 PM, newbee2022 said:
Synthetics are not good for sensitive skin and can't absorb your sweat. Bad choice.
You missed the point. Modern synthetics wick the sweat away from the skin - far healthier and far more comfortable.
Polyester is relatively inert and very few individuals are allergic to polyester, most have some reaction to bacteria that develop in sweat-soaked cotton, or chemicals from washing powder and softener retained by poor rinsing.
Basic polyester is sweaty and uncomfortable, wicking polyester is a whole different ball game - give it a try and you will see.
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Ditch the cotton T shirts - you complain of a sweaty belly and the colour changing.
Switch to wicking polyester (goes under many labels) does not fade, much more comfortable, no ironing required, much more hygienic.
Try one and you won't go back.
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From Krabi to Koh Samui, Lomprayah have the best service as they organise all the transfers.
Public buses run from station to station and there is always a disconnect when you wish to switch to a ferry or other form of transport.
They also appear to have more modern buses and slightly better controlled drivers
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Just returned from a full spine MRI at Wattanapat Hospital in Trang.
Quoted 22k
Advised by my referring doctor to question the price and inform them that I was resident in Thailand.
Paid 11.2k after showing my retirement visa.
Purpose of the scan was to monitor spinal stenosis and the site of a 2-year-old herniated disc.
Quality of the scan was fine (sadly my spine is not!)
Prices can be very different when you move away from hospitals in tourist areas
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I just completed this quiz.
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My Score70/100
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My Time117 seconds
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I just completed this quiz.
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My Score80/100
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My Time56 seconds
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I lived there for 2 years.
Hated the city of Taipei, loved the country outside of the capital.
Moved there from Shanghai where I loved the city but was not much impressed by the country around.
Beautiful countryside away from Taipei which has a poor microclimate (it is in a low depression and can get covered in a haze of pollution)
So I would fly into Taipei and head South to visit the mountains and the Taroko Gorge.
Food is good with a different slant on Chinese food from most Chinese you will eat elsewhere. The stinky fermented bean curd is an acquired taste and can cause nasal offence to some visitors.
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Debate Erupts Over Police Chase in Helmet Incident in Bangkok
in Bangkok News
Posted
They were being chased for their failure to stop at a police check - not for their failure to wear a helmet.
Failure to stop when instructed to may have many reasons (carrying drugs, outstanding warrants etc.). It is considered a far more serious crime in law than failure to wear a helmet and warrants more than a ticket.